State funeral planned for Prentice

CALGARY – A state memorial service that will be open to the public will be held next week in Calgary for former Alberta premier Jim Prentice, who was killed in a plane crash last week in British Columbia.

A statement from the premier’s office says the service will be held Friday, Oct. 28 at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium and will begin at 11:00 a.m.

Details of the service, including speakers and attendees, are still being worked out.

Prentice was killed last Thursday when the twin-engine Cessna Citation jet he and three other people were in crashed shortly after takeoff from the Kelowna airport.

Also killed were optometrist Ken Gellatly, the father-in-law of one of Prentice’s daughters and former RCMP officer Jim Kruk, who was piloting the aircraft.

The family of Calgary businessman Sheldon Reid, another victim of the crash, says in a statement he enjoyed telling stories about his travels around the world and was most proud of his son, Dylan.

“Sheldon was a man of incredible generosity — generosity for his family, his loved ones, and the community of Calgary,” the family wrote.

“He will be fondly remembered for his smile, his laugh, and the depth of his care and compassion for those he loved.”

The Transportation Safety Board investigation into the crash is expected to take at least a year.